Previously, I reported that my van had a few leaks. In this post, I will explain how to repair leaks in the roof of a van. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy a product through an affiliate link then I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
There is little in life more disappointing than finding that your roof leaks. One of the greatest pleasures of camping is to sit inside and listen to the rain outside. Having the rain come inside rather spoils it, in my opinion.
I have discovered a number of leaks in the roof of my 1987 Chevy Van. Some of which were clearly dripping onto the electrics. One of the things in life more disappointing than finding the roof leaks is finding that it’s leaking onto the power outlet. My power outlet is rusty now. I’m just leaving it alone.
My first reaction to having the roof leak on me was to put out buckets and cups. This helped contain the problem, but did nothing to resolve the problem. So I set out to buy myself a tarp. A good long tarp that I stretched over the roof from the top of the windscreen where there were several leaks all the way to the rear doors, where there was a pretty major leak.
By the next morning, the sun had come out and things looked a little brighter. I opened windows and doors to allow airflow to help dry things out and started looking into more permanent solutions.
Step One: Rust Repair
First, I wanted to fix the rust. My poor Charlie has clearly been leaking for a while because she’s got a few rust issues. I’ve had rust problems with cars in the past, so I knew exactly which product I wanted to sort this out. It’s called Loctite Rust Neutralizer and it works like a charm. 10/10 would recommend.
Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com
It comes as a pale pink milky liquid that you just paint onto surface rust. It’s pretty simple to use, the bottle has instructions, and it’s recommended to remove loose rust first. I found that if you’re lazy and don’t remove the loose rust that it gets onto the brush and you end up putting it back into the bottle. This stuff works by having a chemical reaction with the rust, which means that if you get some rust into the bottle, the whole lot starts to react and turn purple. When it finishes drying you get a black surface that you can then paint over.
I’m not going to bother trying to paint Charlie. Even if I could get the original paint colour, she’s old and she’s not that colour anymore. If I had the money, it would be awesome to get her completely redone; all leaks professionally patched, the electrical system repaired, and repainted in her original shiny, glittery glory. Alas, I do not have that kind of money.
While we were wandering in dreamland, the rust paint has dried, time for step two!
Step Two: Leak Repair
Now we’re onto the exciting part. The ‘keep the rain out’ part. First, we have to clean our surfaces (any that didn’t get sorted out by being rust treated that is). Once everything is clean it’s time to apply the sealant.
I opted for a product called Flex Seal. The flex part appealed to me because vehicles vibrate as you drive them down the road, so something that’s brittle wouldn’t last, something slightly flexible sounded perfect. Sure enough, the bottle said it was ideal for cars. This stuff came in a few different formats. You could get it as a tape, as a putty, as a liquid, or as a spray. Given my leaks were all in awkward areas, I opted for the spray.
You can find the product I used (or similar because the UK doesn’t sell this?) at these links: Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk (Different brand, but appears to be very similar), Amazon.com
It’s really simple to use, you shake the can, spray it on, wipe up any drips before they get to somewhere you don’t want them to. Try not to dip your knee into somewhere you’ve already sprayed as you climb back down off the roof (it does NOT wash out). You have to let it cure for 24 hours before you can apply another coat or get it wet.
The leak I took photos of was the easiest to get to and required no climbing, which is why I felt confident to film that one. Some of the other leaks were a little trickier for a short person and so the camera stayed out of it.
Step Three: Leak Test
Once I was confident that I’d got it, and that there were enough coats that the leaks were completely filled; I tentatively left the tarp off. The rain poured down. There was a deluge. It pelted down. Rained cats and dogs. Whatever you want to call it.
And….?
The leaks around the windscreen are fixed! I have successfully repaired the roof of my van!
The leak at the rear door needed a few more coats, and the leak on the skylight over the driver’s seat was apparently not leaking from where I’d thought it was. Also, there’s a new leak I hadn’t noticed before over the side door. So, there’s still more work to be done.
Oh well, at least I know how to fix it!
